


The Proposal

by LoneReader3173



Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M, Male/Male, NaruSasu - Freeform, NarutoxSasuke, Romance, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-27
Updated: 2018-09-27
Packaged: 2019-07-18 05:06:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16111424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoneReader3173/pseuds/LoneReader3173
Summary: Sasuke needs a plan to avoid being forced into an arranged marriage by his parents. Can his roommate help him put on a convincing enough show to stop him being either married off or disowned? NaruSasu





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter one: A Desperate Plan

Bright blue light filled the dark living room as the sounds of sci-fi warfare emanated from the modestly sized TV. Sasuke Uchiha's focus had turned elsewhere and he wasn't paying attention to the game he'd been playing any longer. He dropped the hand holding his PS4 controller onto his stomach, his eyes locked on some arbitrary speck of dirt stuck to the ceiling.

He was lying upside on the sofa with his legs draped over the backrest. He had attempted to take his mind off the conversation with his father that had occurred early that evening, but even his favorite video games weren't enough to distract him.

Sasuke's older brother, Itachi, was getting married in a few months and it was and Uchiha tradition for there to be a family vacation before the wedding for the couples families to get to know each other. Sasuke had only met Itachi's fiancé a handful of times. Her name was Haku, and she was one of the most beautiful and kind women that Sasuke had ever met. As far as he knew, Haku didn't have a family, so this meant it would be an Uchiha only vacation. Plus Haku.

A vacation where his parents would repeatedly try to force him into an arranged marriage to a girl from a wealthy family, or the daughter of one of his fathers potential business partners. It didn't seem matter to how many times he'd told them he was gay.

It was this dismay and exasperation that had led him to inform his father that he would be attending the vacation with his boyfriend. He wasn't sure if he hoped his father would altogether ban him from the vacation, or if he'd sought the security of knowing his parents wouldn't pester him to accept their arrangements in front of an outsider. They were too polite and proud for that. At the time it had seemed like a good plan. If anything, his parents, especially his father, would be uncomfortable and annoyed. A passive aggressive play on Sasukes part that filled him with sadistic glee. The only problem was that Sasuke didn't have boyfriend, and the vacation was in one month.

He'd spent the past several hours going through a list of potential candidates in his head. He couldn't ask his friends, that could potentially get awkward. And besides that, only one of them knew of Sasukes sexual orientation to begin with. He would need someone that wasn't close to him. Not a complete stranger, because that could get sketchy, but someone he could potentially trust to act on his behalf and make the relationship look believable. He'd gone through his very short list of booty calls, but none of those guys were anyone he thought he could tolerate spending two weeks with.

The "game over" message flashed across the screen, bring him back to the reason he'd been lying upside down in the couch in the first place. This was a game he was normally quite good at, but he'd failed the current mission three times now. Sasuke sighed and stretched his arms over his head, dropping the controller to the floor with a soft thunk. Glancing at his phone, he realized that it was almost midnight. He was out of ideas, and beginning to panic.

As if materializing simply to answer Sasuke's dilemma, the front door opened and in stepped his roommate, Naruto Uzumaki. The tall blonde was followed by a cold gust of Autumn air that sent a chill through Sasuke. Normally he would have sent an irritated glare in the boy's direction, but he was suddenly seeing Naruto in and entirely new light.

He knew very little about Naruto, except that he batted for the same team Sasuke did. He knew that there were many rumors circling about his promiscuity, though Sasuke seriously doubted these rumors as It would be pretty hard to be sleeping around if you only left the apartment to attend class or to go to the gym.

Something of his thoughts must have shown on his face as Naruto gave him a wary expression once he looked up from placing his gym bag and jacket in the coat closet.

"Why are you looking at me like you're expecting a treat?" He asked.

Despite living together, the two of them rarely spoke, and Sasuke always forgot how deep Naruto's voice was. He was taken aback for a moment and wracked his brain for a way to properly ask his own question.

The blonde shrugged at his silence, which was nothing new between them, and headed into the kitchen. Sasuke scrambled gracelessly from the couch and hurried after him. His abrupt appearance in the doorway caused Naruto to give him another concerned look. Running his fingers through his messy dark hair, which now stood on end due to the number of times he'd run his fingers through it in frustration, he said the first thing that came to mind.

"We've been roommates for about a year now, right?" Sasuke began, not entirely sure how he was going to ease in the proposal.

"Yeah. Our lease is almost up, in fact." His answer sounded far away, as though he wasn't really listening to Sasuke. "Why? Moving out?"

"Why would I be the one to-" but he cut himself off with a shake of his head. Now wasn't the time to argue. "I mean, we're used to each other. Comfortable, I guess, and we don't dislike each other."

"Not really." He answered, but Sasuke wasn't sure which comment he was referring to.

"Look, I need a favor." He blurted our unceremoniously.

"No." Naruto responded bluntly and turned his attention to the refrigerator.

"At least here me out." Sasuke was feeling hopeless. Naruto was the only person he could think of that could help him.

"Why, I'm going to say no, anyway. " he pulled gallon of orange juice out an poured himself a glass. "I don't do favors."

Sasuke ignored him and hurriedly pleaded his case,"I told my parents that I was bringing my boyfriend on our family vacation because they refuse to believe I'm gay and think it's just a phase or something and keep trying to marry off but I don't have a boyfriend and I need someone to go with me and pretend to be my boyfriend so that maybe they'll listen and leave me alone. " He had spoken very quickly without pause or moving his eyes from the floor.

When Naruto didn't say anything, he looked up to find the boy staring at him with his mouth open and glass half raised to it.

He set the glass down without taking a drink and regarded Sasuke a little longer than before asking, "This is a joke right?" Sasuke glared at him. "What's in it for me, then?"

"I can pay you?" Sasuke suggested. He hadn't even though of that.

"I don't want your money." He shook his head. "No, forget I asked. This is stupid. Just tell your parents the truth and stand up for yourself. You're an adult, they can't force you to do anything."

"But they can cut me off and ruin my chances of finishing college. I need to convince them that I'm telling the truth and not trying to sabotage their lives, or whatever they think I'm doing." Sasuke tried to explain.

"By lying to them." Naruto raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yes. I mean no, not exactly. It's just a means to an end." He was getting flustered and finding it harder to form coherent thoughts.

Naruto paused before answering him again, "What kind of relationship is this?" He used air quotes around the word relationship in a sarcastic gesture.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke was genuinely confused. The late hour of the day left him feeling sluggish.

Naruto rolled his eyes again. "I mean the arrangement." He crossed his arms across his chest. Orange juice now completely forgotten. "I think relationships are stupid to begin with, and having to fake all the stupid boring parts without at least being able to enjoy the only good part, is highly unappealing."

"You mean sex." Sasuke stared blankly at him. It wasn't the answer he was expecting, and was not at all prepared for it.

Naruto shrugged, "Basically."

Sasuke definitely wasn't a stranger to sex, but he'd always been on top. Somehow, he thought as he looked the tall, muscular, blonde up and down, he didn't feel that would be the case with Naruto. The idea admittedly scared him. Not that Naruto wasn't attractive, in fact the boy had the kind of handsome face that turned a lot of heads. Despite the fact that Naruto's reputation led their fellow classmates to shun him, it didn't stop them from staring. Sasuke had had the pleasure of seeing him shirtless on numerous occasions and knew all those hours he spent at the gym were put to good use. No, it definitely wasn't the boys looks. Sasuke just didn't feel like he was ready to be put in that sort of vulnerable position just yet. It had taken him years to even be comfortable being on top. Being close or intimate with people was just something that Sasuke has never really been comfortable with. He liked his space.

The living arrangement with Naruto had ended up being ideal for him as they both mainly kept to themselves and lived in a comfortable silence that Sasuke appreciated. He'd always felt that he'd lucked out finding Naruto as a roommate.

"Never mind." Naruto downed the last of his orange juice and returned the carton the to door of the refrigerator. "I'm not helping you anyway." And with that he left the kitchen.

Shit, sasuke thought. He'd taken too long to answer and his shot was blown for the night. But his roommate hadn't seemed completely opposed to the ideas, at least there appeared to be something was willing to trade. He was certain that he would try again in the morning. If Naruto was his only hope, it might just mean giving up his virginity in order to keep his freedom.

Sasuke tried many times over the next week, but to no avail. Naruto was now ignoring him completely and he was feeling more desperate than ever. He was so anxious and distracted that his normally stoic visage was cracking and his friends were beginning to notice. At least Jugo was beginning to notice, but then again he was the only one of Sasuke's friends that had any perceptive abilities when it came to other people.

Jugo was also the only person outside of Sasuke's family that knew he was gay. He'd confronted sasuke about it a little over a year ago, shortly after he'd come out to his parents. He'd been a vital support to Sasuke at a time he needed it most.

They were sitting in a cafe near campus, as they often did, going over notes from different classes. Sasuke and Karin were both striving to be doctors, Jugo was going to be a vet, and Suigetsu changed his mind on a monthly basis.

Karin and Suigetsu were busy arguing as usual. They constantly fought like an old married couple when they were together and Sasuke was sure that someday they would end up being a couple. Assuming they ever stopped yelling long enough to realize how much they had in common.

Sasuke looked up from his the note he hadn't actually been reading to find Jugo giving him a quizzical look.

"What?" Sasuke snapped. Jugo ability to read him occasionally got on his nerves, as there were times like this that he just really wanted to keep his secrets.

His snapping had gotten Suigetsu and Karin's attention. They straightened up from their current argument and looked expectantly between Sasuke and Jugo.

"Your coffee is cold and you e been staring at the same page for the past 20 minutes." He laced his fingers together with his elbows on the table, and rested his chin against his wrist, staring at Sasuke. All eyes were on him now.

"Nothing..." He said said as a faint blush dusted his pale cheeks. Knowing that would never pass as a suitable answer, he quickly added, "just... roommate trouble."

Suigetsu scrunched up his face in confusion, "Who's your roommate again?"

"Naruto." Karin answered him absently with a dreamy sort of smile. That made Suigetsu regard her with disgust. He opened his mouth to say something undoubtedly snide, but Jugo quickly changed the subject.

"There's a party tonight, you should go. Get your mind off things." He suggested.

"Yeah, get laid." Suigetsu laughed. "Maybe that's all you really need." It was Karin's turn to be disgusted.

Jugo knew that Sasuke hated parties, so there must be some other reason he'd suggested it. Deciding to trust his friend, Sasuke agreed.


	2. Public Displays Of Affection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Naruto agree to help Sasuke out? What will it end up costing him?

Chapter two: Public Displays of Affection

Sasuke learned quickly that it's not always a good idea to trust your friends. Music blared his ears. It was so loud in this house that he could barely concentrate on his own thoughts. Jugo was right on that part, but it was causing him such anxiety that he was now sitting on the floor in a dark corner near the TV with his hood pulled over his head in an attempt to make himself invisible. How had the police not been called yet?

He'd arrived at the house party with his friends. All of them had disappeared hours ago, but the swarm of random girls who had each been trying to to take him home still occasionally passed through the living room he was hiding in. There were way more people here than he'd thought was possible. He wasn't sure if that was why he'd started drinking, or if it was just the pure stress of everything, but he had arrived intending to stay sober tonight. Sasuke had had a real problem with alcohol in high school during his most rebellious stage, but college and the sheer Work load of classes had mellowed him out dramatically. Jugo had driven, but wasn't answering his phone and Sasuke was now stranded and very drunk.

He made an attempt to push himself up off the floor, and almost managed it before tipping over back over. He flailed frantically for something to grab onto, but before he cold make contact with anything, a strong hand grabbed him roughly under the arm, and he was pulled forcefully back to his feet. The hand held him painfully just below the shoulder and was sure he would have a bruise there.

"Let go of me." He tried to push the hand away and would have fallen over again if the hands hadn't grabbed him a second time. They now rested gently around his waist as his own had fallen onto his rescuers broad shoulders. He looked up slightly in to bright blue eyes that could only belong to his roommate. The boy was glaring at him and didn't look at all amused. His shaggy blond hair looked slightly wet as though he'd just gotten out of the shower, and stuck to the sides of his face. Sasuke's brain scrambled for words but all that came out of his mouth was a soft, "Oh."

"Are you serious about this?" Naruto asked him sternly.

"What?" He could barely hear over the music. Sasuke's brain was full of fog, and he was quite sure that if it wasn't for Naruto's supportive handle on him, he wouldn't be standing upright.

"This... proposal... of yours, " He said rather impatiently, "Is it a legitimate request?"

"Yes." He wanted to talk about this now? Here? Sasuke looked around, and saw that they had drawn attention of several people in the room, including some of the girls who had hit on him earlier. He didn't blame them. None of these people knew he was gay, and Naruto's arms around his waist and the way he was clinging to the other boy's shoulders left quite a lot to wonder about.

"I don't want to be the person you ask for help and the shun in public." Naruto's statement confused him even more. He was looking at Sasuke even more intently now.

"I... you won't. I won't." He struggled to find the proper phrasing. Did this mean Naruto would help him? Or had he passed out from all the alcohol and started hallucinating?

"Prove it." He told Sasuke very slowly that he couldn't mishear. But before Sasuke could ask how he would do that, Naruto answered him, "Kiss me. Here. In front these people."

Sasuke just started at him. He couldn't be serious. Out himself here, at this party?

"Kiss me, and I'll help you. 5 seconds." His blue eyes were deadly serious as they looked into Sasuke's, and when he didn't respond, he began to pull away.

Full panic took over his drunken mind and Sasuke pulled Naruto back into his arms, half falling forwards from the unexpected lack of support. Their few inches of height difference meant that Sasuke was forced to rise up on his toes to plant the crushing kiss on his new "boyfriend's" lips. Naruto had thankfully caught him and was now bearing Sasuke's full weight against his body, but didn't waiver even slightly. Naruto only had maybe thirty pounds on him, but Sasuke was reminded it was all muscle.

He responded just as forcefully to the kiss, and slid his hands down into the back pockets of Sasuke's jeans, giving his rear a rough squeeze. Sasuke was feeling flustered. His body was reacting to Naruto's touch and the heated kiss, but his head was swimming and he was starting to feel dizzy. He clung tighter to the other boys shoulders in order to keep himself attached to this plane of existence, but Naruto broke the kiss and slowly set him back of his feet once again.

"Come on. Jugo said you needed a ride home." His voice sounded far away and Sasuke knew there was something in that statement that he should be processing but wasn't. Naruto led him out of the house and Sasuke willingly followed, keeping his head down and pointedly not looking at any of the witnesses in the room. He would have to deal with those consequences later, but wasn't sure how concerned about it that he needed to be.

Naruto helped him into the car and buckled him in. Sasuke rested his head against the cold glass of the window and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were back to their apartment and Naruto was opening his door.

"Wake up. I can't carry you all the way upstairs." He pulled Sasuke from the car and stood him up to rest against its side for a moment.

"This is my car." Sasuke informed him, staring at the familiar car door.

"Yes." Naruto said simply.

"Why are we in my car?" He asked, very confused.

"Because I don't have one, and I wasn't going to walk to come get you." There was that nagging feeling that he was still missing something, again, but he was too tired to figure it out.

"Oh... Kay." Was all he could manage.

Naruto pulled on of Sasukes arms over his shoulder and supported him around the waist to walk up to their door. It was slow going and Sasuke wasn't sure that he was going to stay conscious the whole way.

The other boy unlocked their front door and deposited Sasuke into the nearest chair before disappearing into the kitchen. He returned a short time later and handed Sasuke a large glass of water that he downed quickly.

"You're really going to help me?" Sasuke asked him tentatively.

Naruto sat down on the couch across from him and nodded slowly, staring at some point to Sasukes left. "I'll keep my word." He looked lost in thought, and Sasuke wondered if he was regretting the situation.

Standing up from the chair with a fluidity that surprised himself he strode as best he could to where Naruto sat hunched over with his elbows on his knees. The blond straightened to looked up at him, and Sasuke seized the opportunity to slide into the boys lap, straddling his thighs.

"Oh?" He shifted to allow Sasuke to get comfortable.

"Hn." Sasuke had a strange desire to not let this boy be disappointed in his decision to help him, and leaned forward to kiss him again. The kiss was softer this time, more hesitant.

Naruto kissed him back for a few moments, and even pulled him closer, before breaking the kiss and resting their foreheads together. "You are very drunk." He told Sasuke softly.

"So? You want this." And he made and attempt to initiate another kiss.

"Put you arms around me and hold on." The blond boy instructed him before allowing the kiss. Sasuke kissed him deeply as Naruto stood up from the couch with Sasuke in his arms. His heart was racing and he instinctively tightened his legs around his roommates waist.

"You totally could've have carried me in." He said, a little perturbed. Naruto laughed and carried him through a door. A few more steps and Sasuke's back hit the soft mattress with a thud that made him bounce slightly. Naruto climbed over him immediately began attacking his neck with his lips and teeth. Sasuke moaned and let his head fall back to the pillow. His nerves were all on edge and he still wasn't sure he was ready for this to happen.

"Do you want this?" Naruto asked him as he rand his tongue slowly up the side of his neck.

Sasuke let out a small, unconvincing, "Yes." But Naruto had disappeared over top of him only to be replaced by a blanket that Sasuke recognized to be his own comforter.

"Then ask me when you're sober." The blonde's voice sounded from the doorway as Sasuke struggled with the fabric covering his face. "Good night, Sasuke."

The door clicked shut as Sasuke managed to free his face. He let out a relived sigh and collapsed fully back into is own bed. He was too tired to think anymore and as he rolled over onto his side, sleep took him quickly.


	3. Repercussions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of a night full of bad decisions.

Chapter Three: Repercussions

Cold water ran over the tips of his fingers, giving his mind something to focus other than the aching in his skull and the nausea in his stomach. Sasuke rested more heavily on his forearms, leaning down towards the bathroom faucet to splash more water on his face.

He had awoken to the pounding headache that only came to those associated with a night of bad choices. If it weren't for dire urge to pee and empty the contents of his stomach, he'd would've have left his bed at all today.

He looked up from the faucet and caught sight of his own reflection in the mirror. The figure that stared blearily back at him was almost not recognizable as himself. Dark circles hung beneath his dark eyes, making the already pale skin look even more pallid and gaunt. The nausea felt in his stomach showed in the slightly greenish tinge to his flesh and paleness of his lips. The spiky dark hair he usually kept freshly styled was stinking up in more places than he would have liked, and his bangs were plastered to his forehead with sweat.

Sasuke groaned at his appearance and slid to the floor to rest against the cabinet. He wasn't even sure what time it was or whether it was morning or afternoon. From his place on the bathroom floor, he could see the bedroom window, part of the bed and his nightstand. It was definitely day time, judging by the sun streaming through the dark blue curtains. His eyes followed the ray of light to where it fell across the nightstand. There on top of the smooth wooden surface sat a bottle of water, a Gatorade, and small blow he prayed contained some sort of medication. He stared at them for a few more minutes, watching the droplets of condensation roll down the cold plastic bottle, debating if he really wanted to move, or if it would still be shameful to crawl back to bed if no one could see him.

Groaning again he forced himself to stand up and walk back to his bed. 'Uchihas don't crawl,' he thought. 'Uchihas don't get black out drunk and make out with their fake boyfriends in public, either.' Another voice reminded him. He picked up the bottle water and pressed it to his throbbing head. 'Uchihas aren't gay.'

He sat back down on the bed and picked up the small glass dish, which did indeed contain pills. Four of them, in fact. Two he thought might be Tylenol, another maybe a vitamin, and the fourth he had no clue. Trusting his roommate, turned boyfriend, he tipped the dish into his mouth and washed it down with the Gatorade.

Keeping the water bottle pressed to his head, he climbed back into bed and closed his eyes. He hadn't gotten himself this drunk since he'd been old enough to do so legally. Remembering a time when his body had been more used to it, he wondered if the consequences had always been this rough.

Sasuke's mind kept trying to wander back to Naruto and what the effects would be of being forced out the closet he'd been so comfortable to hide in, but he kept pushing the thoughts away. There would be a time when he was more prepared to deal with it, but not right now.

Just as sleep began to take him once more, the door to Sasuke's room slowly creaked opened. He lifted an eyelid part way to look at the person he already knew would be standing there.

"You should really learn to knock." He said much more coldly than he'd intended.

Naruto was standing in the beam of sunlight streaming in from his window. The effect of his handsome face bathed in the golden light made Sasukes stomach flutter and his face heat up. The light made his blonde hair shine like a wheat field at sunset, and cerulean of his eyes sparkled like ocean depths.

He rolled over to the side and hid his face with his arms. "You're too bright, go away."

"That's no way to talk to you boyfriend, you know." He replied, just as coolly.

"You aren't really my boyfriend, so I don't feel guilty." He couldn't get Naruto's face out of his mind now, and hoped he'd rolled over fast enough to hide his growing erection.

"Yeah, about that..." he walked around to the other side of Sasuke's bed and climbed in next to him, lying on his back with his fingers laced behind his head. "We need to talk."

"No we don't." He wished Naruto would just leave before he embarrassed himself even more.

"What exactly is this plan of yours?" Naruto continued as though Sasuke had not spoken at all.

Sasuke sighed, knowing this wasn't a battle he was going to win. "My brother is getting married in a few months. If my last family visit is anything to go by, my parents are of the mind set that if he is getting married, that means it's time for me to do so as well. However, for some reason, they refuse to believe that I'm gay and are trying to marry me off in a way that would benefit them. Money. Politics. That kind of thing." He spoke slowly and refused to uncover his face to make himself better heard. "My hope is that by bringing you on this vacation, that I can convince them that I'm telling the truth and forcing me to marry some girl would destroy my happiness. Assuming that's something they care about, that is." He sighed again. Saying it out loud forced him to face the ridiculousness of it all. "It's a long shot, but the only one I have, if I want to finish school and fulfill my own dreams." If he failed, he'd either be completely on his own, or married to a women he didn't know.

Naruto was quiet and did not reply right away, causing Sasuke to nearly fall asleep again. When he finally spoke, Sasuke jumped a little in surprise. "Ok. When do we leave?"

"Three weeks." Sasuke groaned in irritation and embarrassment.

"Then tomorrow we are going on a date." He stood up from the bed and stretched while Sasuke watched him from the corner of his eye.

"No. Why?" Dating was the reason he didn't have a boyfriend, among other things. He'd never understood relationships.

"Two reasons." He held two fingers up to Sasuke, lowering one he said, "first, because we should probably get to know each other better in order to make this any sort of believable." He lowered his second finger, "and second, because I've seen you try to lie, and you are terrible at it. So this gives you a legitimate answer when someone asks what our first date was. We won't have to rely on your bluff skills. And trust me, they will ask."

Sasuke nodded in defeated agreement, and Naruto made to leave the room, but paused as he opened the door. "By the way, I'm sorry for outing you last night. That was a dick move on my part."

Sasuke shook his head, "I doesn't matter." He yawned before adding, "maybe once this is all over, it'll be easier to get laid."

Naruto chuckled and shook his head slightly, "Eight o'clock tomorrow, then." And the door clicked shut behind him.

Sasuke let out a slow breath. His aching head was now overloaded with thought. He wished Naruto had waited until tomorrow to talk about all this. He searched for his phone, which he found dead in the pocket of the jeans he'd slept in. He plugged it in and waited for it to charge enough to turn on, dreading what he'd see when it did.

At first nothing happened. The home screen appeared, and the time of 9:34 flashed up at him, but there were no notifications, or phone calls, or messages. Then all of a sudden, they began flooding in. One after the other, so many, so fast, that he couldn't keep up reading them.

He opened his messages and read the ones from his friends first, as it was their opinions that really mattered to him. Jugo had simply sent him a single emoji that winked up at Sasuke, reminding him that he needed to talk to his best friend about his apparent meddling.

Next there was a message from Karin. This one was accompanied by a photo himself with his arms around Naruto's neck kissing him deeply at the party. It was a good photo, he had to admit. Her message praised his good luck at finding someone such pleasing physical characteristics, while also stating the embarrassment she felt for not realizing Sasukes interest in men sooner, and lamenting the years she'd spent hitting on him. She also included a warning that the photo she sent she had gotten off Instagram and that there were several more like it. Her broken up way of texting was the reason he'd thought there were more massages. Sasuke knew no one else that could turn a single sentence into three or four different texts.

Sasuke looked but found no message from Suigetsu, which was odd and left a knot of concern in his chest. The only other message was from his brother, asking him to call.

Sasuke checked the time again. He would need to sound more alert if he was going to talk to Itachi, or his brother would know he'd been drinking again. But if he waited too long, Itachi would wonder why it had taken him so long to return the call, and probably surmise that he'd been drinking again. He set the phone down, and massaged his temples. Itachi was the very last person he wanted to disappoint.

Deciding to ignore what was sure to be a drama full Instagram feed, and that he'd wait until ten to call his brother back, Sasuke forced himself out of bed, dressed, headed for the kitchen. Naruto was there already, standing at the counter cutting up small pieces of ham and other meat scraps and placing them into a plastic bag. Sasuke had seen him feeding these to a stray small orange kitten that lived in an alley way between their apartment and campus. Sasuke liked cats, and seeing this had earned Naruto some respect in Sasuke's eyes.

He looked up as Sasuke began rummaging through the cupboards for something to settle his stomach. "Did you ever name that cat?" He asked the boy conversationally. Naruto had been correct that they would need to get to know each other better, but he was unsure of how to go about it. Making friends had never come easy to him.

"Nah. It's best not to get attached. Strays live a hard life, and it not like I could bring him here. I already checked." He shrugged and zipped the baggie of scraps closed. "What are you looking for?"

"Something that will satisfy my hunger but not trigger my nausea." He paused his search to close his eyes to relieve them of the bright kitchen light. His head was still pounding.

"There's ramen in that cabinet to your left." He offered in what, Sasuke assumed, was meant to be a helpful manner.

"That's not food." He retorted at the blonde.

"Blasphemy!" Sasuke winced at the volume of his voice, and he continued more softly. "Fine then. Here." He opened the cabinet to Sasuke's right to reveal soda crackers and various cartons of broth among other soups.

Rather than thanking him, Sasuke stared blankly at the open cupboard. Another though had occurred to him. "Have you seen the photos of us online?"

"Nope, I don't do social media." He started cleaning up the scraps he hadn't salvaged and tossed them away. Sasuke hoisted himself up onto the counter next to where Naruto was working and pulled his phone out to showed him the one Karin had sent. "Well, looks like we got them convinced at least." He said glancing over.

"Hn." He was right about that. Perhaps this wouldn't be quite as difficult as he'd thought.

Naruto wiped his hands on a dish cloth and took the phone for a closer look, smiling down at the photo, he winked at Sasuke before handing it back. "We look good together." He teased.

Sasuke started to roll his is eyes, but was shocked to find himself standing back on the kitchen floor rather than his seat on the counter. "What the-"

"Don't sit where we eat." His roommate commented, abruptly taking his leave of Sasuke and their apartment.

Sasuke was too startled to respond. That was twice now that Naruto has picked him up and moved him about like it was nothing. It was definitely not something he was used to.

At six feet tall with an athletic build, sasuke had never considered himself small or delicate, but Naruto certainly had a way of making him feel just that. What was worse, Sasuke wasn't all that sure he really minded. His stomach turned in anticipation of things to come between them. Despite there being no one to see it, he covered his face to hide the blush that heated his cheeks as memories of willingly climbing into Naruto's lap the previous evening returned.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Sasuke returned to his phone. He still had yet to eat, but it was time to call his brother back.


	4. First Time For Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Sasuke survive whatever “date” Naruto has planned for them?  
> Explicit scenes are marked with ********** if you wish to skip.

Chapter 4: First Time For Everything

The pale boy in the bedroom mirror scowled out at Sasuke. He'd been staring at the reflection for the past fifteen minutes, and was becoming increasingly annoyed with himself. He was nervous, but not entirely sure what he was afraid of. That was bothering him more than the fear itself. As far as anyone else was concerned, he and Naruto were already an item, so why was this date making him so terribly anxious? It wasn't as though he was required to impress the other boy.

This wasn't the kind of pressure that Sasuke was used to. He'd always hated the idea of dating, and so far throughout his adult life he'd managed to avoid the spectacle altogether. Now here it was, unavoidably thrust in his face.

Sasuke had thought several times today about calling the whole thing off, just accepting his parents wishes, and being miserable the rest of his life, but it felt a little late for going back. Still, he could always run away and live in the woods with the wolves, avoiding people altogether. He had enough survival skills and camping equipment, that he was quite certain he could make it on his own.

Tugging impatiently at the hem of his shirt, straightening it out unnecessarily, he glanced over his reflection on more time. He looked the same as he always did, but was more conscious of every little detail of his appearance than he had ever been before. He had settled for a simple T-shirt and jeans, covered by a black hoodie with a white zipper. Sasuke had always considered himself good looking, and so it seemed had everyone else, but right now that knowledge wasn't doing anything for his self confidence. He sighed heavily, feeling ridiculous, and exited his bedroom.

Naruto was waiting for him in the living room, resting casually in an armchair. He was dressed similarly to Sasuke. The orange stitching in his black leather jacket matched the orange shirt he wore. Sasuke was a bit surprised to see him as the blonde had been out earlier and Sasuke had not heard him come home. Blue eyes flicked up towards Sasuke at the sound of his entrance, and the tanned face of his would be lover split into a feral grin that seemed to show too many teeth. A slight chill made its way through Sasuke's core, and his nervousness doubled.

"Try not to look so enthusiastic, would you." Naruto mocked him with a laugh and a raised eyebrow.

"What are you laughing at?" Sasuke crossed his arms defensively in front of his chest, and tried his best to appear as cold and indifferent as he normally did, but was unable to convince even himself.

"You!" He continued to laugh. "You look like a cat that that's just been shoved in a bucket of water." He took a deep breath to regain some control as Sasuke glared at him harder. "What's with that expression?" He made an attempt to mockingly mimic Sasuke's glare, but couldn't stop smiling enough to make it effective. "I can't even do it." He laughed again.

He wasn't wrong, Sasuke thought, that was indeed how he was feeling, but it perturbed him how Naruto could read him so easily. People normally faded under the icy glare, mastered by the male members of his family, but never once in all the time he'd know Naruto, had it ever visibly effected him.

"Can we just go, please?" Idiot.

"Yeah, yeah." He was still grinning as he stood from his chair and crossed the room to where Sasuke stood. "It won't be that bad, I promise." Naruto rested a hand gently on his shoulder and Sasuke instinctively dropped his arms, anticipating the move to turn sexual, or for the blond to lean in for a kiss. Naruto paused for a moment looking at him and the smile faded from his face before he continued past Sauske and snatched the set of keys from the hooks by the door. Sasuke took a moment to recognized the keys as his own.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" But Naruto had already made a quick exit. He hurried after his roommate and caught up with him in the hall. "Those are my keys!" He bit out irritably

"And?" Naruto challenged, aiming a lopsided grin over his shoulder at Sasuke.

"'And?' Give them back." Sasuke held out his had for the keys to be returned to it, but Naruto ignored him and continued walking away towards the elevator.

"Nah, I'm driving. I know where we're going and you do not." He smiled again as he hit the button to close the elevator doors, and Sasuke knew this wasn't a battle he was going to win.

"You're not going telling me where we are going either, are you?" Sasuke eyed him with suspicion, but his apprehension had waned substantially since entering the living room. He was becoming less and less nervous the more he was around the blonde, but didn't want to attempt a guess at why that was. What good would nonsense like that do anyway?

"You catch on quick don't you," Naruto mocked him lightly.

Sasuke glared at him again, but Naruto, of course, didn't back down. The doors opened behind him and Sasuke turned around to head out of the lobby and to where he remembered parking his car last, only it wasn't there.

"Over there." Naruto called him from distance to his right, already headed towards his car. "I brought you home the other night, remember?"

Sasuke sighed and followed after him in the dark, sliding into the passengers seat of his own car feeling defeated.

"How often do you steal my car?" He asked, rather perturbed, once Naruto had started the vehicle and had begun to pull out of the stall.

"I borrow your car in emergencies." He answered, unabashedly. "The other night. Another time Jugo called me when you were really drunk. A few months ago when you got sick and passed out in the library, and Jugo called me. Another time you were sick and we needed groceries, and there was a big snow storm..." he was ticking the items off on his fingers as he thought about it. "I think that's it."

Sasuke just stared at him. "I thought Jugo had brought me home those times." He'd even thanked his friend with lunch for both occasions. What the hell?

"Nope." Naruto shrugged, not taking his eyes off the road.

He supposed that it was and easy mistake. They were both roughly the same size, light of hair, and deep in voice. Still though...

He had yet to talk to Suigetsu or Jugo since the party and wasn't looking forward to either conversation. Suigetsu, he knew, strongly disliked Naruto for whatever reason, and was sure to be unhappy with their supposed relationship. And Jugo, it was beginning to seem, rather liked Naruto and had been attempting to medal in their lives for some time without Sasuke noticing.

They drove in silence for sometime. Sauske grew apprehensive when they neared the fair groundsand even more so when Naruto navigated the crowds to park as close to them as he could.

"Oh please, No." He told Naruto as his car was put in park. But the other boy nearly laughed and exited the vehicle.

When Sauske didn't join him in the cool night air, his door was opened for him and the blond held out his hand for Sasuke to take.

"Come on." He said coaxingly as though Sasuke were a frightened puppy.

He glared through the darkness and stood up from the car, batting away the offered hand. Naruto smiled and may no indication that he was at all insulted, but rather amused at Sasukes behavior. He turned and led a very reluctant raven haired boy through the crowded parking lot towards the gates. The smell of cotton candy and popcorn punctuated the damp autum air, making his stomach churn. There was a fair or festival held here every other month or so, and Sasuke always managed to get caught in the traffic after a late night class. He hated crowds, and this date had to be the worst possible scenario.

The crowd grew more dense as they reached the front, and people jostled around him, bumping and pushing, and someone even stepped on his foot. Naruto seized his hand to pull him through the people, and to his surprise, past the line to the ticket booths. He pulled Sasuke around the corner of the grounds down a narrow dark ally way that shared a wall with festivities.

"Naruto, what are we doing?" He asked, snatching his had back. The alley was nearly devoid of light, and Naruto pulled out his phone to use it as a flashlight.

"Just trust me." He said, shining the light at a chain link fence at the end of the path. He approached it, lifting it where it had disconnected from its post, and held it open, waiting for Sasuke to enter pass through. "After you." He said smiling, but Sasuke hesitated a moment before doing as he was told. He passed under the chainlink and found himself standing in just another alleyway, only this one was blocked off on all sides. A dead end.

Naruto had followed him through the fence and tapped him on the shoulder pointing upwards. A rusty fire escape ladder hung above their heads. He stepped back as Naruto reached up and yanked it down to the ground where it hit with a loud clank.

"Up we go." He ascended without waiting for Sasuke.

He held off following until Naruto had reached the first platform. It was better than the fair, at least, and he highly doubted anything malicious awaited him at the top. The climbed up five flights of stairs before reaching the roof top. Sasuke couldnt see anything, and hovered against the waist high wall at the top of the ladder as not to bump into anything he couldn't see. He could hear Naruto somewhere in front of himself, doing just that.

"Ow, dammit." He hissed following a rather loud crash. "Ah here it is, shield your eyes a bit, though it's not really that bright."

Sasuke didn't bother to close his eyes and there was a loud click of a switch. Several strings of round dim lights were illuminated overhead, rear along the small rooftop garden they were standing in.

"Owners are out of town, said we could use it tonight." Naruto told him as he walked to the other side of the garden.

"Use it for what, exactly?" The only thing up here besides the plants and other garden supplies and decor, was an upholstered bed like sofa under a canopy near where Naruto stood.

The other boy followed his gaze and waved his hand impatiently, "no I didn't bring you up here for that, although it is pretty comfortable." He gestured at the night sky before him. "This just happens to be the best spot to watch the fireworks." He pointed over the edge to something Sasuke couldn't see so that he was required to move closer. "See? We're even higher than the Ferris wheel." Elbowing Sasuke playfully in the ribs, he added, "Plus, no crowds."

Sasuke looked at him in surprise, "How did you know."

"Was it supposed to be hard to figure out? Haha, your mask doesn't hide as much as you think it does." He winked at Sasuke, "besides, I don't like them either." He turned back to the sofa bed. "Help me with this will ya." He tugged at the canopy over top of it. "It just folds back."

Sasuke took the other side of the fabric and the folded it out of view.

"It's kind of pretty, from a distance," He told his roommate, watching the festival down below.

"Yeah, I guess it is. Fireworks are shot off from there." He pointed at the pavement behind some bleachers not far from them. "They will go off right above us."

Flopping down backwards on the bed, he patted the spot beside him. Sasuke didn't move for a moment eyeing him warily.

Naruto sighed heavily, "I'm not going to jump you. I won't do anything to you until you make the first move."

"It as the first thing you asked about." He countered.

"It was a valid question." The blond shrugged dramatically.

"Why did you make me kiss you?" He asked very slowly.

Naruto sighed again, and propped himself up on his elbows to look Sasuke in the eyes, "Because I wasn't going to be the person you went to for help behind closed doors, while shunning me in front of your friends." He patted the spot beside him and Sasuke lay beside him without any further questions. He sensed there was a story behind that statement, but didn't feel like it was his place to ask.

"You still haven't told me where we're going on this vacation thing." Naruto said looking over at him curiously.

In fact they hadn't talked about any of the details at all, sasuke realized. "My family's beach house in Konoha."

"Bleh." Narutos response caught him off guard. See the look on Sasukes face, he added. "I'm sure the house is just lovely." He said overly sweet. "I grew up in Konoha, and was glad to be rid of the place. Never thought I'd go back."

"I'm sure it will be fine. The property is quite big. We have our own dock. It's likely we won't have to leave." Sauske offered as a way of condolence, but Naruto just shrugged.

They lay quietly until the fireworks began a short time later. Naruto had been right, the did indeed go off right above them. Sasuke sat up in surprise when ash from the first firework rained down on him, causing Naruto to laugh, as also brush himself off.

"Get used to it." He said laughing. The roaring display lifted the mood between them considerably. Sasuke had watched fireworks with his family when he was little, but never this close up. Every explosion reverberate through his chest, erasing every other thought or emotion, and he understood why Naruto enjoyed this so much. He looked over at the boy, watching his smiling face as much as he watched the show overhead.

The festivities came to a close, but Sasukes good mood remained the whole way home. He now stood with Naruto in the living room. The later was still removing his jacket as Sasuke was attempting to remove more ash from his hair.

"Here." Naruto offered, striding over, and picked out the most visible pieces for him with look of sincere concentration.

Sasuke watched him for a bit before making his decision, knocking his hand away and kissing the boy roughly on the lips. His fingers slipped into soft blond hair, pulling him in deeper. His affection was returned with equal heat and intensity. Naruto hands snaked around his waist pulling their heated bodies together. Calloused ginger worked their way under his shirt, trailing light touches up his sides, before tearing the fabric off over his head, breaking the kiss.

*************

Sasuke's gasped as he attempted to catch his breath from the heady kiss, causing Naruto went for his neck instead. Every touch was going straight to Sasuke's groin, but their closeness allowed him to feel that Naruto was just as aroused as he was. Whatever nervousness he still held, he couldn't deny his attraction to Naruto, or his desire experience whatever the other boy had to offer.

Naruto undid Sasukes belt and pants, then shoved him roughly backwards onto the couch, dropping to his knees on the floor in front of him.

"Lift you hips," the blond instructed him. His tone of voice had changed, deepened and strengthened into something that left little room for argument, and Sauske did as he was told. His pants and underwear were pulled quickly to his knees, leaving him exposed from the knees up and freeing his throbbing erection. He felt extremely vulnerable like this, but the smirk Naruto gave him from between his legs made his cock twitch in anticipation. The boy didn't go for it however and instead settled for kissing Sasukes inner thighs while his hands stroked the outer, teasing. Sasuke wanted to punch him. He reached out grab blond locks to try and steer the boy's head in the right direction, but Naruto's hands snatched both of his, pinning his hands to the couch on either side of him.

"What is it that you want, Sasuke?" His mouth was inches from where Sasuke wanted it, and the breath that ghosted over his heated flesh made him groan with need and throw his head back to rest on the sofa.

"Is that not obvious?" He bit out through gritted teeth. It had been so long since someone other than himself had touched his body, and he's wasn't entirely sure he could stop himself from coming before he was even touched.

"Of courses it is, but I want to hear you say it." Sasuke did answer or look down at him, and revived a sharp bite to the inner thigh as a consequence, caused him to yelp and look down. "I'll wait." He stayed and ran his tongue over the place he'd just bitten.

There was no way to win this. He was sure that Naruto would releases him if he asked, but that wasn't what he wanted, but he was also sure that if he didn'task the right way, Naruto would make him do it again. "Please," He could feel his face heat up even before the words left his mouth, "Suck—" but before he could finish, he was cut off by Naruto's tongue running the length of his of his throbbing cock. He moaned and cursed under his breath, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back again.

"Eyes on me." Another instruction came to him, but Sasuke now to lost in desire to argue and looked down to meet those crystal blue eyes as Naruto swirled his tongue around the head before engulfing the entire length. Sasuke moaned again, but kept watching as Naruto sucked, bobbing his head slowly.

"I'm not going to last long." Sasuke told him in a strangled voice that sounded nothing like his own.

"That's fine." Contact was broken in order for him to answer, and Sasuke wished he hasnts said anything, "Just warn me when you're close." He moved to lick Sasuke's balls, pulling one into his mouth and sucking, before giving the other the same attention, glancing up every now and the to watch Sasukes reactions. Satisfied, he returned to running his tongue along his erection. Sasuke toes curled in pleasure as he watched.

"Naruto..." he bit out in way of warning, but instead of moving back and finishing him off with his hands, as every other blow job he'd ever had had ended. Naruto engulfed him again, sucking harder and faster that before until Sasuke reached his explosive climax, spilling come into his boyfriend's mouth.

***********

Sasuke sat panting on the couch with his pants around knees. Naruto had used only his mouth, but the effect had been spectacular. Sasukes head was spinning as Naruto stood up and leaned over him. He was too light headed to react to the boys presence and closed his eyes to wait for whatever Naruto had planned next. However, the blond, it seemed, was going to ignore his own need, at least where Sasuke was concerned, and simply kissed him on the cheek.

He whispered an amused, "Goodnight, Sasuke," in his ear before disappearing from the room. Sasuke groaned and rubbed his eyes, hearing Naruto's door close. What the hell had he started?


	5. I’ve Got You Under My Skin

Chapter 5: I've Got You Under My Skin

Sasuke.

What was he supposed to do next? None of the people he'd been with before, he'd ever had to speak to or see again. He'd made sure that would be the case before ever initiating anything. It was how he liked things, simple and unattached.

Sasuke.

But even the thought of Naruto and what they'd done the night before made his face heat up, and he wasn't sure he could even face the boy again.

Saaassuukkee!

He'd never been with anyone who had dominated him quite like that. He was used to being the one in control of sexual situations, though he was well aware he couldn't deny the fact he had thoroughly enjoyed it. Memories of the Naruto sitting between his knees the night before, floated to the top of his mind, and blood began to flow to his groin.

"Hey! Earth to Sasuke!" Karin snapped her fingers in front of his face to get his attention at the same time Suigetsu elbowed him in the arm. Sasuke straighten himself upright, having been sitting with his head resting on his arms as he stared unseeingly out the cafe window.

"Dude, what's with you today?" His white haired friend pulled out one of his ear buds to better listen.

It was Monday afternoon and he, Suigetsu, Karin, and Jugo had gathered at the cafe to go over there notes from classes. Now all three of his friends were staring at him looking concerned. He shifted uncomfortably on the wooden bench of their small booth.

"Sorry," he muttered quickly, "had a long night." He dropped his gaze back to his note books, avoiding their eyes. In truth, they had gotten home at a decent hour, but despite his exhaustion, he had lain awake until the sun had just begun to chase the darkness from the morning sky.

"Does it have anything to do with the large hickey on your neck?" Karin teased, and Suigetsu, who was sitting next to him, poked the sore spot on his throat with his index finger. Sasuke swatted him away in annoyance. The bite mark was tender, but not nearly as bad as the one on his thigh. He'd been worried about Suigetsu's silence on the issue of his and Naruto's relationship until now, but was starting to wonder if his abcence would really be a bad thing.

"I always wondered when you would come out the closet, but why did you have to pick that asshole." He cocked his head to the side as he spoke, his violet eyes looking equally annoyed and curious.

"I think he's gorgeous." Said Karin dreamily staring at Sasuke, and he was sure that he didn't want to imagine what thoughts were crossing her twisted mind.

"Ew," Suigetsu scoffed, taking his attention away from Sasuke. "Besides, don't you two have the same last name?"

"Yeah, so?" Karin looked at him, itritated that he'd interrupted her musings.

"Doesn't that mean you're possibly related?" Jugo provided for her, closing his book and finally joining the conversation.

"Not that I'm aware of. If so it's very distantly." She shrugged. "Anyway, Sui, you just don't like him cause he scares you."

"I am not afraid of that jerk!" He said rather loudly, slamming both hands down on the table in balled fists, causing several other patrons and their waiter to stare at him. Suigetsu didnt seem to notice or care, but just kept glaring at Karin.

Karin, however, tossed her red hair over her shoulder and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, turning her attention to Sasuke, "he got really drunk at a party that Naruto happened to be at, and acted himself a fool."

Suigetsu continued to glare daggers at her, "Karin," he warned, but she ignored him, smiling smuggly.

"Naruto got fed up with him and removed him from the party. To which Suigetsu responded by calling him... what was it again, Sui?" She tapped her chin looking falsely thoughtful. "Oh yeah, you called him a useless whore, and he punched you in the face."

"He knocked me out." He growled at her. His expression changed abutly as he rubbed his chin looking wounded, "I swear it still hurts."

Jugo laughed, running his fingers through his ginger Mohawk, "Yeah I spar with him at the gym sometimes, and can agree that a hit from him isn't fun."

"He deserved it." Karin rolled her eyes at him.

"Where does that rumor come from?" Sasuke interupted, suddenly, having only been vaguely listening to their conversation. "The one about him getting around?"

"Uh... I dunno, I've just always heard it," Suigetsu admitted, shrugging.

"But does anyone know anyone that's actually slept with him?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow them. "Because seriously he doesn't ever leave the house except to go to class or the gym." But then that wasn't entirely true either, because then how did he know about the rooftop?

"Questioning your lover already?" Jugo asked sweetly before fetching his phone that had just started to go off.

"Speaking of questions, I have a bunch for you, as a matter of fact." He was reminded that he still had yet to talk to Jugo about his meddling.

"Uh... it'll have to wait, I'm afraid." He roughly shoved all of his school supplies into his worn leather bag and stood up from the table. "Sorry, emergency at work, I need to go." He wiggled his phone in the air, indicating that that was what his messages had been about.

Karin stretched her arms above her head, yawning. "I should get going too. I've got a lot to do today."

"Well I'm not staying any longer than I have to, sorry Sasuke." And Suigetsu joined her in packing to leave. Sasuke followed suit, not exactly wanting to return home, but if he did indeed leave now, he might beat Naruto home and be able to avoid him a bit longer.

The house was still dark when he arrived, but the muffled noise of a television could be heard coming from his roommate's bedroom, and flickering blue light shone out from under the door, indicating his presence in the apartment. Sasuke had had time to gather his thoughts a bit more on his drive home, and had subsequently decided that while he wasn't going to actively seek out Naruto's attention, he wouldn't avoid it if it presented itself again. Sasuke busied himself in the kitchen, preparing his own dinner for the night and lunch for the following day, before retiring to the livingroom to watch tv until it was a decent enough hour for him to give in to sleep.

Naruto, however did not appear out of his room that night, nor did Sasuke see him the following day. Under normal circumstances this wouldn't be unusual at all, but given their last encounter he was beginning to grow impatient . By the time he saw Naruto again on Wednesday evening, Sasuke was more than a little irritable.

he was standing in the kitchen having spent the past twenty minutes in a fruitless search through the cupboards for something to eat. Nothing sounded at all appealing, and he stood leaning against the kitchen table glaring at the cupboards as though they were the ones who had wronged him, when Naruto sauntered in to begin his own foraging. Sasuke watched him, waiting for something that would give him an idea of what was next for them. The blonde boy had not said a word to him for three days, and now continued to ignore him as they stood in the same room.

"I can feel your glaring practically burning a hole in the back of my head," He sated, lazily standing up from where he stood browsing the fridge, and turned to look at Sasuke over his shoulder. "What are you mad about?" He cocked his head slightly to the side in genuine curiosity.

Sasuke stared at him open mouthed. Was Naruto really that much of an idiot or was he just toying with Sasuke? The tanned face staring back at him split into a lopsided grin that gave Sasuke his answer. The door to the fridge was slowly closed and the boy walked over to stand in front of him.

"Was it it thats upsetting you?" He asked in a sultry voice that made Sasuke's composer slip ever so slightly.

Sasuke scoffed and made to push him away, but Naruto placed his hands on the table behind him, blocking his escape.

=•=•=•=•=•=•=•=

"I wanted to give you time, in case you'd had more than you could handle." He said softly against Sasuke's ear. "Clearly I didn't need to?" He paused, and Sasuke knew he was waiting to see if he'd be pushed away again. When Sasuke stayed put, he slowly licked the shell of his ear and moved down to sink his teeth sharply in to the pale flesh of his neck. Sasuke moaned and his hands shot up to grip Narutos shoulder, pushing at him to lessen the bite.

Naruto took the hint and released him, gently licking the sore spot in apology. Strong hands left the table to push up the fabric of Sasukes shirt until it had been pulled up over his head. Warm lips cover is own in deep kiss as the blonde's hands ran down his back before tightly gripping his ass through the loose sweatpannts that sat low on his hips.

"Turn around." Naruto commanded, his voice deep with desire.

"You want to do this here?" Wasn't this the same boy who got mad at him for sitting on the counter?

His love shrugged. "I don't have lube, so either way," he turned Sasuke around with little resistance, "I won't be doing much to you, but I promise I'll make it good." His hands ran across Sasukes's stomach just above his waist band and growing erection.

Sasuke grabbed one of the hands and forced it lower to stoke his cock through the thick fabric. "Stop teasing." He demanded in annoyance.

Naruto chuckled in his ear, "Straight to business then." And Sasuke found himself quickly bent over the table with his pants and boxers on the floor around his ankles. He tried to stand back up, wanting to shy away from the sudden exposure, but the hand on the small of his back held him firmly in place.

Sasuke braced himself, taking slow deep breaths, as thick wet fingers slid between his cheeks, slowly circling his entrance.

"You shave here too?" Naruto teased, noting the smooth hairless skin.

"Shut up. It's a habit from when I ran track in highschool. It bugs me unless I do everything." Sasuke attempted to defend his grooming habits.

"Whatever," Naruto laughed at his indignation,"I'm not complaining." The hand on his lower back was removed and now both were on either side of his rear, spreading his cheeks apart, exposing him further.

He felt the boy behind him shift but couldn't see what he was doing out of the corner of his eye, then suddenly, what was unmistakably Naruto's tongue swiped slowly over his entrance.

"Ugh, Naruto, that's-" but he couldn't finish as he tried to squirm away from the strangely pleasant sensation. His movements were met with a sharp slap to his ass.

"If it feels good stop complaining," He was scolded before Naruto continued licking, this time forcing his tongue past the tight ring of muscles, and earning a low moan from the raven haired boy. Sasuke arched his back slightly pushing his hips back, wanting to be filled more. His erection was throbbing, but being blocked by the edge of the table, he couldn't reach it in this position. As though reading his mind, he heard Naruto spit into his hand before he reached between Sasuke's legs to slowly stoke him in time with his thrusting tongue.

Sasuke was beginning to get lost in the pleasure when it all suddenly stopped and Naruto stood up. The thick wet fingers returned and this time wasted no time pushing inside him. Sasuke bit his lip in discomfort. He'd fingered himself before, but not quite this roughly. Naruto moaned behind him.

"Gods, you are tight," He hissed. "Put your legs together." The fingers left and Sasuke heard the sound of zipper behind him that made him freeze.

"Wait, you said-" he started looking over his shoulder that blond who was now removing his own shirt. He wasn't sure why he was still nervous, but looking back and seeing the Naruto's own engorged flesh certainly hadn't helped. Even with lube, that was going to hurt.

"I'm not, relax." He tossed the garment to the side and smirked at Sasuke, "trust me." Sasuke turned back around and as he was told putting his thighs together, wondering what the hell the other boy was up to. He heard Naruto spit into his hand again, before something thick and hard slipped between his thighs, brushing his balls and causing them both to moan. Naruto's cock was slick with spit and moved easily as he thrust rhythmically in and out. He reached around to stroke Sasuke with one hand and the other fisted a handful of dark hair, pulling his head back.

"You have no idea how much self control this is taking." He hissed in Sasukes ear. Sasuke smiles and squeezed his thighs together, eliciting a deep moan and a sharp bite to the shoulder from his lover. He was deeply pleased with the effect and the pleasure he was feeling, but still, he wanted more.

"Just put it in." His voice came out weaker than intended, but his decision was made.

"I told you, I don't have-" Naruto started, but Sasuke cut him off impatiently.

"There's coconut oil in that cupboard by the stove, it'll work fine." He pointed over his opposite shoulder. Naruto released him and was gone from behind him before he'd even finished speaking. He heard the cabinet door clamoring open as Naruto searched and he finished kicking off his sweatpants. Sasuke straightened up and swiveled around as Naruto returned, and was greeted by another kiss.

"This is still going to hurt." He warned, pressing their foreheads together as he ran his fingers through Sasukes hair.

"Hn." Was the only response Sasuke could muster as Naruto pushed him back on to the table. He climbed on after him and settled himself between Sasuke's legs, opened the jar of oil. "I'm more worried about this table holding up, to be honest."

Naruto paused looking down at the wooden surface, "Eh, it'll be fine." He said shrugging. He scooped a liberal about of the thick oil from its jar and coated himself and Sasuke's entrance, slipping his fingers inside for good measure. "Ready?" He asked wiping the excess oil on his jeans and pulling Sasuke behind the knees to better position him. Sasuke nodded, forcing himself to relax, as Naruto slid forward stretching him to his limit. He bit his lip in pain and his lover stilled his movement, waiting patiently as he kissed Sasuke's inner thighs and teased his still erect member with light touches from his fingertips.

"Slowly," Sasuke instructed as he felt the pain dissipate enough. Naruto moaned as he slowly slid out and then back in. It was a sound that Sasuke had decided he liked, and was determined to hear more of. He didn't need Naruto to go slowly for long. Pain gave way to pleasure and he soon met every thrust, rocking his hips up as he pumped himself closer to completion. The table beneath groaned and creaked under the exertions it wasn't built to handle.

"I'm close." He warned the blond boy as he'd been told to during their previous encounter. Naruto nodded, sweat gleaming on his tan chest and face, and it was only a few more pumps before Sasuke saw stars and came over his own abdomen. Naruto continued thrust inside a bit longer until Sasuke felt his insides grow warmer and the boy stilled his movements, and slid out of him.

=•=•=•=•=•=•=•

He slumped over Sasuke, panting, with his hands supporting himself on either side of his waist. Sasuke lifted his hand to brush the sweaty blond hair out of his lover's face, but Naruto pulled back from the touch.

He stretched and made to climb off the tabled, but the moment his weight shifted more to one side, there came a loud crack as the table collapsed sideways. Faster than he could register what was happening, Naruto had wrapped his arms around Sasuke's waist, pulling him close and turning them to break Sasukes fall with his own body. Sasuke sat up straddling Naruto's waist, looking down at the blond boy who gave a winded groan.

"My hero." He rolled his eyes at the needless heroics.

"Next time I'll let you die." He wheezed and pushed playfully at Sasukes chest, and then letting his hand fall to rest on Sasuke's leg.

"I told you it wouldn't hold up." Naruto didn't answer him. His eyes were closed and his breathing was still uneven. "Are you dying." Sasuke mocked him. The boy responded this time by gripping Sasuke thigh and pushing his hips back so that Sasuke could feel his renewed erection against his backside. "Seriously?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow, but Naruto just smiled up at him.

"I'm insatiable." He grinned, and Sasuke would learn over the coming days, just how true that statement was. He rubbed a spot on Sasukes leg made wet with oil before asking, "Shower sex?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. He got to his feet before helping Naruto to his and pulled the blond into another kiss as the made they way to the shower, leaving behind the wreck of their kitchen table to be dealt with later.


	6. Surface Tension

Surface Tension

The smooth leather of the couch stuck to Sasuke's bare, sweaty skin as they sat watching the evening news. Thursday October, 5th, flashed at the lower corner of the screen. He was naked, sitting sideways with his legs pulled up to his chest, and had pulled the blanket from the back of the couch to cover himself. Feeling both overheated and cold had made him uncomfortable to say the least. Naruto had pulled his shorts back on sat on the floor at the other end of the couch. The blond boy had not spared him a passing glance since they'd finished their fourth sexual encounter of the day around half an hour ago. Sasuke was sure that he had more sex in the past week than he had in the past five years. Naruto had not been joking when he'd said that he was insatiable.

Sasuke's body was sore in every way imaginable. Every muscle ached from the different positions Naruto had put into, but he couldn't fault the blond boy, as he had initiated it just as much. They'd kept to rules unspoken between them. Their physical closeness was sexual only, no cuddling, no sleeping together. And of all the many surfaces of their small apartment that Naruto had drilled him into, a bed had never been one of them. Something about it seemed too intimate for both of them, and that wasn't what this relationship was. Sasuke liked it this way, it was simple. No complication of emotions, just sex. Good sex.

But now he wanted Naruto's attention again, and the boy was ignoring him in favor of sports highlights that Sasuke had no interest in. Blue light flickered against his tan face, emphasizing the chiseled features and strong jaw. Sasuke stretched out one of his legs to lightly kick the boy in the shoulder. Naruto didn't budge or tear his gaze away from the TV to even look at him. Sasuke nudged him again, and this time the boy pushed his foot away in annoyance but still didn't look over. Sasuke weighed his options and, feeling impish, decided to nudge him one last time. This resulted in Naruto grabbing his ankle and yanking him off the couch. He hit the ground with a thud that nearly knocked the wind out of him. Grabbing the back of his head, that he'd hit rather roughly on the carpeted floor, he groaned rolled onto his side, but the other boy wasn't done with him yet. Still holding his ankle Naruto pulled him closer and turned to lean over him on all fours. Sasuke glared up into annoyed blue eyes.

"No." he told Sasuke flatly.

"Did I wear you out already?" Sasuke attempted to bait him, still holing the back of his own head. He knew this level of sexual activity wouldn't last. According to what Naruto had told him, it had been about a year since either of them had sex, and this was merely result of a lot of backed up energy.

"Not in the slightest." He reached down and brushed Sasuke's bangs out of his eyes, "but I do have to get up early and am going to bed as soon as this is over." he pointed at the tv, indicating the sports report he'd been trying to watch before Sasuke had interrupted him.

"What for? There are no classes tomorrow." Sasuke pointed out bringing his hand up to run his fingers down Naruto's muscled chest.

"Classes, no. Practice, yes." Naruto took both of his hands and pinned them to his sides. Sasuke sighed in defeat and the boy moved off of him and sat back where he had originally been.

"What practice?" he inquired apathetically, sitting up. He didn't really care about the answer, but there was still very little he knew about Naruto, and if they were going to be a convincing couple for his family next week, he should probably start learning.

Naruto turned slowly to look at him again, mouth slightly open. "Do you really not know that I'm on the football team." Sasuke stared blankly at him. "How did you think I knew Jugo? We were on the team together last year."

Sasuke just shrugged "I just thought you were muscle headed gym friends or something."

Naruto laughed. "You really live in your own little world, don't you?" He shook his head and stood, giving up and trying to finish watching the new. "Good night, Sasuke." he waved over his shoulder as he retired to his own watched him go, disappointed that their night was over. He sighed heavily and lay back on the floor to stare up at the ceiling.

One week. Ten days, until they had to face his parents, and they hadn't done anything to prepare for the encounter. His mother would be the easier one to impress. Sasuke hoped the just seeing him "happy" would be enough for her to try and persuade his father to leave him be. But his father... he'd never really gotten the feeling that his father thought of him as anything more than a spare pawn in his political game. His brother had always been the real prize for his family, and no matter how hard he'd tried, or what he'd accomplished, it had just never quite been enough.

While Sasuke had a good relationship with both his brother and his mother, there had still always been a sort of disconnect between them. A barrier that Sasuke couldn't identify. He'd wondered before if it had to do his behavior during his adolescence and the strain it had put on their family. The decisions he'd made since becoming an adult hadn't helped anything either. Not going to the school his entire family had gone to. Deciding to become a surgeon instead of going into the family business. Coming out as gay, which he was sure his family thought was a decision to further rebel and embarrass the Uchiha name. None of those things had ever been his intention however. He'd wanted to walk his own path and be himself, but he was still proud of his heritage and of baring his family name. He didn't want to lose on either side.

A shiver ran down Sasuke's spine and he searched for the warm blanket that had previously been staving off the cold. He pulled it around himself once again and clambered to his feet, feeling he might as well go to bed also. Yawning, he wandered into his own room and buried himself under the covers. He had ten days to figure out how to make this charade believable. By just the following day, however, a problem arose with his plan: Naruto had begun ignoring him again.

Sasuke was beyond irritated with his roommate, and sat fuming in the cafe with his friends. He'd confronted the boy yesterday about being on the receiving end of silent treatment, to which Naruto had replied, "Ask me about all this next week."

"We leave next week, you idiot. One week exactly from today." Sasuke scolded him loudly.

Naruto has flinched at his words, and rubbing his temples told him, "Fine, ask me Friday. Relationships aren't difficult. You're smart aren't you? Two days should be enough time to teach you how to think about someone other than yourself." And with that the boy had closed himself in his room again, and Sasuke hadn't seen him since.

Sasuke was so consumed by his own thoughts that Suigetsu and Karin's arguing didn't even bother him the time they all packed up for the day, Sasuke realized that he hadn't written down a single note from their discussions or text. They bid their farewell's but Jugo pulled him aside after the other two had exited the cafe.

"Come see me at work tomorrow around noon." Came the gruff request of his oldest friend.

"I can't, I've got-" Sasuke started to try and blow him off.

Jugo held up his hand to cut him off, shaking his head, "Wasn't asking. It'll be worth it and help you with your Naruto problem, though." And he left without waiting for Sasuke's confirmation. He stared blankly after his friend's retreating back. Everything felt as though it were teetering on the edge of something Sasuke didn't quite understand, and there wasn't anything he could do push the outcome either way. All he could do was wait for the pieces to play their part before making his next move, and the suspense was killing him. All his nerves were on fire that night as anxiety coursed though his body, keeping him from much needed sleep. By the time he stood in the waiting room at the Veterinary office in which Jugo worked the following morning, it was with dark circles under eyes and short temper.

The swinging door to his left finally opened and Jugo beckoned him into the back, and then ushered him into another a side room lined with cages. "Give me like fifteen minutes," he said distractedly. "Play with the cats and try not to bite anyone else's head off while you're here. You nearly had the receptionist in tears." He left as abruptly as he'd dragged Sasuke back into this room.

Sasuke let out a deep sigh. He hated this place, the hospital smell mixed with the smell of cats and the overall depressing atmosphere. He should have called Jugo to see if he was busy before heading over, and perhaps he wouldn't have had to wait like this. He turned around and walked down the row of cages stopping to look in at their occupants, petting those who asked for it. He liked cats, always had, but had never been allowed to have a pet of his own growing up. Sasuke wasn't sure what Jugo had meant by, "play with the cats," as most of these poor creatures did not look to be a state that suggested they were in the mood for joyful frolicking with a moody twenty-something year old. As he reached the final cage however, a small orange paw reached out for his attention follow by a soft mewling, and Sasuke froze. He knew this small orange kitten, at least he was pretty sure it was indeed the same one he often saw Naruto feeding outside their apartment. It had the same white spot on its face and black tip to its tail, only it was now missing one of it's front legs. The little kitten purred as Sasuke scratched under its chin through the bars of the cage. Was this what had effected Naruto's mood so drastically the past few days? How long had the kitten been missing?

The door to the room opened and Jugo entered looking harassed and tired. Dark circles hung under his eyes as well, and his orange Mohawk sat flat and lifeless. "You can take her out, she's mostly healed." he told Sasuke in a tired voice, noting where he stood.

"Was this what you called me here for?" he asked, pointing at the cat, feeling slightly manipulated. The kitten mewled again to regain his attention.

"Did I ask you here to fall in love with a cute cat in hopes you'd give it a home?" He asked raising an eyebrow, sounding confused, "No, but she's yours if you want her. You just have to take her angry gray friend in there with her." He strode over and opened the cage, gently lifting the orange ball of fur out and placing it in Sasuke's arms. Then reaching back into the cage, he grabbed a second kitten that had blended in with the gray of the bed in the back. It was small disheveled looking tabby, with long fur, that hissed and swatted at Jugo as he lifted it too out of the cage. "The orange one was brought in about a week ago after being attacked by a dog." He placed the second kitten in Sasuke's arms as well. The little thing balled itself up in fright. "That one is just another stray, but they bonded, so we kept them together."

"The orange one is the one Naruto has been feeding near our apartment." Sasuke told him flatly.

"Ah. I understand your question now." he stated rubbing his eyes. "No, that isn't why I called you here. That is the first I've heard of that or I would have called Naruto, as I'm sure that's at least part of what's bothering him." He pulled up a folding chair for Sasuke and one for himself. "No, I just wanted to talk and to answer your questions, and since I've been so busy lately, I thought this would be easiest, though I may have to randomly run out of here if I'm needed." He gave Sasuke a tired smile and the sincerity showed in his eyes. "Want to start with your questions?"

Sasuke nodded, feeling more at ease than he had all weekend. "How do you and Naruto know each other?"

"We were on the football team last year and became sort of like friends." He shrugged lightly and waited patiently for Sasuke to continue. Sasuke nodded again as he thought. He knew Jugo had been on the team, but quit at the end of last season to more seriously pursue his veterinary career. "Which was also why I recommend him to you as a roommate when you were looking last year. I thought you two could be good friends as well."

"You know about my arrangement with him too, dont you." It wasn't really a question as Sasuke had been sure for awhile he knew the answer.

"He brought it up to me after you asked him." Jugo confirmed, "Wondering about whether the request was genuine or not. I told him that you hadn't mentioned anything about it to me, but since, even though I knew you were gay, you'd never actually told me, that you telling him attested to your sincerity."

"And the party?" Sasuke was feeling much more relaxed as played with the orange kitten, occasionally petting the gray one, earning a low growl from the grumpy thing.

"I may have given him a push, yes." He shifted uncomfortably in the chair, but Sasuke just nodded once again. He'd realized as Jugo was talking that just having some answers had eased his mind considerably. That or he had just reached the point of exhaustion where his emotions had stopped functioning. Sasuke said nothing else, so Jugo continued.

"The other thing I had wanted to talk to you about..." He paused, seemingly unsure to how to say what was on his mind. "Well... part of the reason he's being so distant, and not just with you... well he told me last year, he's never really liked his birthday."

Sasuke looked up from the now sleeping cats. "What?" He was confused about what that had to do with anything currently going on.

Jugo rolled his eyes at Sasuke, "Today is your boyfriends birthday, which he apparently spends alone every year, due to not having anyone close to him. Hence the cold shoulder he's undoubtedly giving you."

Sasuke blinked at him, feeling a bit guilty. "Oh," he said, but he wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to do with this information.

Jugo sighed heavily. "You are hopeless."

Sasuke was too tired to defend himself, and thus found himself sitting on his own bed as the kittens chased rolled around playing in the bedspread. He'd told Jugo several times that they were not allowed pets in the apartment, but here they were anyway. He wasn't sure if it was because he was too exhausted to argue, or it was because of his childhood desire to have a pet of his, that he'd agreed to take both kittens. Sasuke had grown very fond of the tabby and had decided to keep that one for himself, leaving the orange one to his roommate. He'd called and spoken to the landlord and after a long argument on the matter, they'd agreed on a steep "pet deposit" that Sasuke had paid for with his family's credit card. He changed from his street clothes into a pair of black shorts and black sweatshirt and waited until he heard Naruto come home. He then waited a bit longer, feeling extremely awkward about the whole thing, and had no idea how to go about it.

When at last he found himself standing outside Naruto's bedroom door, he had decided to tuck the gray kitten into the hood of sweatshirt and orange one into the front pocket. Both kittens and worn themselves out playing and were fast asleep. He knocked on the bedroom door but received no answer. Trying the door, he found it unlocked. That was trusting, he supposed, but then he never locked his bedroom door against Naruto either. He slowly turned the handle and opened the door to find Naruto sitting at his computer desk with his back to Sasuke. The large gaming headphones and absorption into whatever he was playing had led to him not hearing Sasuke enter. He tapped the boy on the shoulder causing him to jump and quickly remove his headphones.

"Sasuke..." came the reproachful response upon seeing that it was only Sasuke. Before he could continue, however, Sasuke pulled out the orange kitten and thrust it into Naruto's hands. Silence fell Naruto stared at it, and Sasuke stared at Naruto. He hadn't expected it, but the feeling of guilt had returned. The sadness was far more evident to him in the boys eyes now, but Sasuke knew that he should have noticed sooner. They may not be real lovers, but perhaps Jugo was right and they could at least be friends.

Naruto continued to stare dumbfounded at the sleepy little ball of fur in his hands. It purred and stumbled forwards awkwardly on its three legs, clearly recognizing the boy who had so consistently kept its belly full, and tried to climb up his chest to snuggle against his face.

Naruto helped it along and looked up at Sasuke, opening his mouth to ask questions, but Sasuke cut him off with a deep kiss, "Happy birthday." His own tiredness seeped into his voice as he brushed Naruto's shaggy hair out of his eyes.

He gave a soft, "thank you," in return, still at a loss as to what was happening. Sasuke smiled as a perverted sense of pride filled him at stumping the blonde boy out of his usual aloof and cocky demeanor. He pulled the grumpy Tabby out of his hood for Naruto to see as well.

A voice echoed out of Naruto's headphones calling his attention back to reality. "Can I take care of this last game and we can talk?" He asked tentatively. The small kitten had taken up residence on his shoulder and seemed perfectly content with its new perch. Sasuke agreed and crawled on to Naruto's bed against the wall behind them. He scooted over the lay against the wall, setting the kitten down beside him where it huddled against his chest, and waited for Naruto to be done with his game.

The blond boy's earthy scent on the pillows and the softness of the bed called him into a sleep he had not intended.


	7. No Place Like Home

Chapter 7: No Place Like Home

Sasuke awoke to the soft, rhythmic melody of the rain against the paned window of Naruto's room. It took him several minutes to open his eyes and remember where he was. He knew immediately that the bed beneath him was far to soft to be his own, and the scent of the blankets pulled up around his shoulders was familiar, but also not his own. The panicked feeling of waking up in a foreign place that his tired brain thought he should be having, never came. The purring of the small, soft creature near his face and the heavy weight of the person laying beside him was far more physically comfortable than he had ever thought it would be. Slowly he opened his eyes to the dull white ceiling above him and turned carefully to stroke the small gray kitten, scratching it behind the ears. It yawned sweetly and stretched its little paws out in front of itself before curling back into a ball where it continued to purr.

Sasuke's gaze fell instead on to the blond male sound asleep beside him. Naruto lay on his stomach facing him with one arm under his pillow and the opposite hand under his cheek. The orange kitten lay upside down in the crook of his arm, its three tiny paws twitching as it too purred contently. Sasuke watched the two sleep as he listened to the rain outside. He could not remember a time since being very young that he had ever slept next to someone, and as comfortable as his body was, his mind still found the situation incredibly awkward.

Naruto's bed was upgainst the wall, and in order to get out, which he didn't need to necessarily do right that moment, he would have to wake or would inadvertently wake him whichever way he tried to climb out. He hadn't brought his phone with him into Naruto's room the previous evening, and the clouded sky made it difficult to tell time. He watched Naruto's face as he slept peacefully and wondered what had caused his usually stand-offish roommate to let him stay the night, and even cover him with blankets. He hadn't lain down the previous evening with the intention of staying, but had underestimated his own exhaustion.

Sleeping beside someone was much different than Sasuke had thought it would be. He'd always avoided spending the night with any of his past lovers, friends, or even family, feeling that it would be annoying and difficult to get any sort of meaningful rest. Snoring, talking, shifting, and taking up too much space where all things he knew were common cliches of sharing a bed with another person, however Naruto slept soundly, had kept to his own space and, as long Sasuke had been awake, hadn't moved. He found himself most grateful for that last part as being physically close to someone was still something he found awkward and uncomfortable. He'd only tolerated it during sex due to the resulting ecstasy of the end result. Still, he felt an odd desire to reach out with fingers and brush away the golden strands of hair that had fallen across his lover's face. It was doubly odd to Sasuke that he felt perfectly at ease tearing Narutos clothes off in the middle their living room and being bent over the back of the couch, but an act as small and innocent as this felt far too intimate and forbidden.

As he pondered what to to do next, Sasuke's mind became cloudy and he began to slowly drift off back to sleep. Just as he thought he'd tipped over the edge and fallen into the realm of dreams once again, the blaring sound of Naruto's alarm clock pierced the peaceful stillness of the small room. Both kittens jumped and hissed as the foreign sound assailed their ears. The blond boy awoke and rolled over to hit the button on his phone, calming the orange creature with a gentle hand. Sasuke reached under the pillow to retrieve the other cat from its hiding place and attempted to do the same, earning a scratched hand for his efforts.

Naruto, now laying on his back like Sasuke, turned to look at him.

"Good to see that you're alive." He said with a yawn. "I tried to wake you last night, but you wouldn't budge. Thought maybe you'd died."

Sasuke scowled, "You thought I was dead and just climbed into bed with me?"

Naruto shrugged, "I've had worse."

"Doesn't make sense," Sasuke yawned also, too tired to think.

His lover chuckled at him and rolled over on his side propping his head up on his arm, "where did you find this guy?" He asked sleepily, wiggling his fingers infront of the kittens, who batted at them playfully until the little orange one fell over and was promptly pounced on by its friend.

"Jugo." Sasuke told him simply.

"Ah. That answers all my other questions too actually." He nodded slowly.

"He likes to meddle." Sasuke agreed. "But we wouldn't have gotten even this far if he didn't, so I can't complain too much." Sasuke acknowledged his friends assistance in their charade.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at him, but nodded nonetheless, "I guess we're pretty hopeless, huh."

"Yeah... I think he was right though. At least... about us becoming friends." He dropped his gaze from Naruto back to the orange kitten, reaching out to scratch it under the chin.

"You think we could be friends?" Naruto asked him.

Sasuke shrugged, "I suppose. We still have to get to know each other... if only enough to convince other people."

Naruto reached back over his shoulder to grab his phone. "We have four days now?" He asked looking at the date."Are we driving or flying?"

"Flying. My brother called the other day, and said they'd meet us at the airport." He yawned remembering the long conversation with his brother about a week ago.

"It's only seven. Wanna play 20 questions," He asked Sasuke with a bright smile.

"If it's seven, why are we awake?" Sasuke groaned, pulling the warm blankets higher over his shoulders and up to his face turning over to his side, facing Naruto.

"You first, only whatever question you ask, you also have to answer." The blond boy said chuckling.

"Fine," after all he'd been the one pushing the getting to know each other thing. He started with the question that had been on his mind since yesterday. One he thought he really should have asked already, and felt a bit stupid for asking now. "How old are you?"

"Twenty two as of yesterday. You?" This surprised Sasuke, he hadn't realized the boy was that much younger than himself.

"Twenty six, as of July. Your turn." Sasuke closed his eyes and listened, trying not to sleep.

Naruto thought for a moment rubbing his chin, "What are you in school for?"

"To get an education." He replied.

"Fuck you. You know what I meant." Naruto snapped slightly, but his voice still rang with amusement.

"I graduate medical school in the spring, and start my surgical residency next year." Sasuke yawned again. It was still sometimes hard for him to believe that he'd actually gotten this far. There had been a time, not that long ago, that he'd thought he wouldn't even make it past his early twenties, but that felt like such a lifetime ago.

"Oh, really? Damn, that's awesome, man. I thought you where doing something with business or computers." Sasuke winced at the statement.

"No, that would be the rest of my family. What about you?" He supposed he'd always be compared against his family, even by someone like Naruto.

"Well, I don't know your family, but I just always thought you were a nerd like that." Though Sasuke still hadn't opened his his he felt the boy next to him shrug. "I always wanted to be a paramedic, ya know. Seemed like it would be really exciting, and you get to help people. But I got a 4year football scholarship, so I decide I'd use it to get a bachelors in EMS. I also graduate in the spring. I could have become a paramedic years ago, just taking the class, but why waste an opportunity like that."

"Hnnn." Sasuke agreed. Naruto was turning out to be smarter than he'd given him credit for. He thought hard for a moment trying to come up with another question. This was something he'd ever really been good at, in fact, everything he knew about his friends now where things they chosen to divulge on their own. He wasn't sure he'd actually ever asked them anything about themselves. The thought had never really crossed his mind before, but now, the closer he got to Naruto, them more he was becoming aware of how selfish his own thoughts and behaviors were.

He opened one eye to look at the boy beside him. Naruto was watching him quietly. Bright blue eyes held his, patiently waiting for whatever Sasuke decided to ask. Sasuke felt a heat rise in his cheeks at such intense scrutiny, and he remembered something Naruto had said the other day. "Why do you hate Konoha so much?"

Naruto scowled rolling onto his back, showing his disdain for the question. "Trust that to be the one thing you pick up on. " he sighed heavily, but then chuckled said softly, "Its a long story, but the gist of it is that I don't have many fond memories of the place. My parents died when I was a baby, and my guardian traveled a lot and I never had many close friends, so I spent a lot of time alone. I got bullied at school for a number of reasons all through growing up, and to top it all off... well in junior year of high school I had this boyfriend, right?"

Sasuke didn't answer knowing it wasn't really a question, but he listened intently as Naruto stared up at the ceiling using his hands in mild gestures he spoke, "We had kept our relationship a secret as he'd said that he wasn't ready to come out of the closet just yet, and I respected that because I loved him and had just wanted to be with him. We hung out in different circles and didn't see each other much at school. He was busy with some advanced classes, and he used that as an excuse, telling people he couldn't date because his parents had forbidden it due to school. It was a good cover... but then I learned that it was also the cover he had for the two girls he was dating besides me."

He scoffed at the memory Sauske had no doubt must be painful. "Well, needless to say I was pissed, so I decided to confront him infront of everyone in the cafeteria. Of course no one believed be as I was the school loser, but it damaged his pride enough that he spent the next year and a half spreading rumors about me as a form of revenge. Some of which evidently followed me all the way through college." He shrugged and let his hands fall back to his chest. "What about you? What's your worst relationship?"

"Hmm?" Sasuke was startled at the turn around, not having time to even respond to Naruto's story. Perhaps Naruto wanted it that way? "I've never been in a relationship, I honestly think they're stupid."

Naruto looked over at him with a raised eyebrow, "What's this show for your family then?"

Sasuke opened his mouth but wasn't sure where to start. His lover watched him patiently waiting. "When I was little, my older brother and I were very close. But as we got older... my brother is a prodigy, you understand, everything always came so easy to him. Now I'm smart, but he was easily leaps and bounds above everyone else, and in comparison, I seemed to be somewhat of a let down to my parents. My father especially. So around the time I was sixteen, I had decided that no matter what I did, Itachi would always do it better, and thus why should I bother? I had also begun to figure out that I was gay. Another thing that would set me apart from my family. So I rebelled in every way possible. I skipped school, a lot of sex, a lot drugs, a few arrests... but all I really succeeded in doing was making myself more and more depressed, until when I was eighteen..."

He absently fingered the scar on his left wrist, wondering how he found it so easy to tell Naruto secrets he often found too painful to revisit, but then Naruto had been as equally honest with him. The boy gently took his hand running his thumb over the marred skin, and Sasuke didn't pull away. "That was when I decided that I wanted to be a surgeon. But still... the things I did in my past follow me like a dark cloud. My parents think me being gay is a remnant of all that. I want to be a part of my family, but I want to also be able to be myself."

"I understand." Naruto told him softly releasing his wrist. They lay in silence for awhile reflecting on what they'd learned from one another.

Sasuke yawned and his eyelids felt heavy. "Can we finish this later? I really want to sleep a little longer. Class isn't til 11 today, that's 4 hours away."

"Sure," Naruto said stretching, "on the condition that when you wake up, you let me fuck you into the shower wall."

Sasuke blanched at his bluntness, but it wasn't an opportunity he really wanted to pass up. "Deal."

"Goodnight, Sasuke," Naruto said softly, grabbed both of the still fighting kittens and quietly left the room. Sasuke wondered if he should move to his own bed instead of displacing Naruto from his own room, but before he could finish the thought, sleep took him once again.

It wasn't until a few hours later that he was awoken again. His tired brain had already begun to process being wake when he felt the bed dip beside him. He opened his eyes to watch Naruto crawl up the bed towards him. He pulled the blankets back and knelt over Sasuke on all fours. His crystal blue eyes filled with lust as he ran his fingers up Sasuke's side underneath his sweatshirt. Sasuke seized him by the front his T-shirt and pulled him into a bruising kiss. Naruto grabbed his wrist and dragged him out of the bed to the waiting shower.

They continued to ask each other questions over the next few days. He now knew more about Naruto than he did anyone else in his life, and was very aware that he was also far more comfortable with the boy than he had been with anyone else.

They'd maintained their physical distance once again, only coming together for sexual encounters. Sasuke now looked at the boy sleeping on his shoulder as he'd been doing for the last two hours of the plane ride and felt no desire to push him away. He ran his fingers absently through blond hair. It was soft like the kittens' fur, and Sasuke felt the longing of missing the little creatures already. Jugo had agreed to watch to the kittens, which they'd named the grey one Chidori and the orange one Ramen, for the two weeks they'd be gone.

The pilot came over the intercom to announce their decent and Naruto sat up sleepily, wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth. Sasuke had always hated flying and hadn't been able to sleep at all himself.

"When was the last time you were here?" He asked Naruto hoping to get his mind off the disapproving family waiting for him down below. Saying he was nervous was beyond and understatement.

"Jiraiya's funeral." He said simply. Jiraiya has been the man that raised him, sasuke remembered. He had passed away just after Naruto had left for college. Sasuke felt guilty for accidently bringing it up and opened his mouth to apologize, but Naruto cut him off.

"I'll be fine, stop worrying so much." He said stretching as the plane touched down and they were allowed to disembark.

His family stood waiting as they walked through the gate of the small airport. His mother, Itachi, and Haku waved at them smiling. His Father, Sasuke note had not decided to join them. Before he could lift his hand to wave back, Haku let out an uncharacteristicly excited squeal and ran forwards.

"Naruto!" She flung her arms around his neck and a he lifted her easily off her feet, swinging her around in a circle before setting her back down.

"Haku! What has it been? Six years? When Sasuke told me the name of Itachi's fiancé, I didn't think in a million years that it would be you!" He hugger her again, "But I'm glad it is."

"Oh, I've missed you. Look how big you've gotten." She said feeling the muscles in his arms. Sasuke watched in bewilderment. He looked over at his mother and brother who were each watching the scene unfold as well. His brother look apprehensive and uncomfortable, and is mother wore and expression of pure shock as she stared at Naruto. Sasuke cleared his throat, bringing everyone back to themselves.

"Oh, Sasuke, Haku and I dated back when we first started highschool until she moved away." Naruto told him, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. Sasuke nodded in understanding but didn't know what to say, so instead he introduced the rest of his family.

"Naruto, this is my brother, Itachi, and my mother Mikoto." The both shook Naruto's hand, but Sasuke couldn't help but notice the look his mother continued to give Naruto. It was subtle enough that he doubted that anyone besides himself and possibly Itachi noticed, and it was malicious by any means it was just... odd. That was the only way Sasuke could describe it.

"Let's go get your bags, the car is waiting." She said kindly, finally tearing her eyes away from her son's boyfriend. She turned and led them all away. Naruto and Haku chatted happily as they walked. The blond boy looked over at him and smiled slipping his hand into Sasuke's, lacing their fingers together. Sasuke almost pulled away before remembering that this was something couples did, and Naruto was reminding him to play the part. Still, when his hand was squeezed gently in reassurance, he felt a sense of ease wash over him.


	8. Out of the Past

Chapter 8: Out Of The Past

The three Uchiha's spent the drive in silence while Naruto and Haku chatted happily. Sasuke's head rested against the cool glass of the car window as he tried to stay present and listen to what the two were saying. Naruto was beside him in the very back of the SUV and had leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, while Haku had turned around in the chair where she and Itachi were seated in front of them. His mother sat silently in the front beside their driver, staring out the front window. They were still at least an hour away from his family's beach house and Sasukes anxiety was only increasing the closer they got. He'd been watching out the window but the closeness of the passing trees as they whipped by was beginning to make him seasick, so he closed his eyes, not knowing where else to look.

It had been years since he'd been to this place, and his last memories of it weren't pleasant ones. He wonder if his family's reserved nature reflected those tainted memories as well, or if it had just been so long since he'd been with him, that he'd just forgotten the once very familiar loneliness of their presence.

Naruto reached over and took his hand once again, giving it a tight squeeze of reassurance. Sasuke opened his tired eyes to look at him. The blonde boy hadn't taken his eyes off Haku and the two were still talking animatedly about Naruto's football career.

"How were you able to come on this trip? Aren't you missing games," Haku asked him curiously.

"Nah, I've been benched since I tore my rotator cuff a few months ago." He raised the shoulder opposite Sasuke, and took it through the full range of motion. "It's mostly healed up and I might get to the last games of the season, but we'll see." He shrugged nonchalantly as though it didn't really matter either way to him, and Sasuke supposed it probably didn't. Football wasn't what Naruto had gone to school for, it had merely been a means to and end. An end that was only a few months away.

The two continued to chat, catching up on the various life events that had happened since they'd last seen each other. Neither of them Was speaking loudly my any means but their voices carried in the otherwise quiet car. Sauske was surprised at Haku's lively manner as she spoke to Naruto. He had always thought she was more reserved like Itachi, and had never seen her smile this much. Likewise he had never seen Naruto this animated or this happy. It invoked a feeling inside him that he couldn't comprehend, so he opted to close his eyes again, feeling another squeeze from Naruto's fingers as he did so.

It was nearing evening when they finally turned onto the street that would take them to the beach house. Naruto and Haku had fallen silent some time ago and the blond boy had settled for staring window at the ocean as glimpses of it came through the trees. Sasuke had settled on watching him, but not of his own volition. As his mind had wandered, his gaze had come come rest on Naruto's face. He watched as the golden evening light danced across his features and glitter in eyes that matched the deep ocean waters he was staring at. It wasn't until he caught Itachi watching him out of the corner of his eye that he realized what he'd been doing. Glaring unnecessarily at his brother, Sasuke shook his head, trying regain composure. Naruto's hand was still held tight in his own. They turned around another bend and the house came into view. The family's beach front property had stood a towering monstrosity of wealth and power for generations. Walls of pale stone rose above the white sandy beaches belonging only to Konohas elites. Naruto turned to give him an incredulous look, and Sauske rolled his eyes.

The car pulled up to the front of the house though the circular driveway, and they all clambered out. Naruto stretched his arms over his head and yawned, looking up at the house in awe. He turned to Sasuke as if asking his lover what he was supposed to do next. Sasuke opened his mouth, but it was his mother that spoke instead.

"Dinner should be ready in forty-five minutes. The driver will take yours and Naruto's things to your room Sauske." She had begun to walk away, Haku and Itachi on her heels, but her soft voice carried back over her shoulder. "In the meantime why don't you take your guest on a tour."

Sasuke nodded before remembering her back was turned, "Yes Ma'am." He responded robotically.

Naruto gave him an odd look but he ignored it. What was wrong with him? 'Yes ma'am?' He didn't sound anything like himself. He didn't feel anything like himself either. Every nerve felt on fire as if he was going to explode at any minute.

"This way." He said emotionlessly to Naruto. The boy followed silently and without question. Sasuke led him through the grounds, only mumbling light explanations of each area they came to. Naruto didn't seem to have any complaints until they'd walked down the steps to the dock that stretched a hundred meters out into the water. Then suddenly Sasuke found himself pushed up against the railing with Naruto's arms pinning him in on either side.

"What's with you?" He asked. Strong hands gripped the railing behind Sasuke preventing any escaped and he honestly couldn't tell if Naruto sounded annoyed or concerned.

"Nothing, I'm fine." Sasuke responded automatically and made a failed attempt to push the boy away.

"We're in this together, you know." Naruto told him softly. "I agreed to do this with you, I'm here to help you."

The wind blew Sasukes bangs in front of his eyes and Naruto raised a hand to gently brush them away, trailing his tan fingers down the side of his face and under his chin. He leaned forward, tilting Sasukes face up, and kissed him softly on the lips. The kiss was short and chaste and Sasuke missed the feel of his lips as soon as they disappeared. The warmth of his touch had been somewhat comforting against the chill of the wind and his family's less than welcome reception.

"I don't know, it's hard to explain." Sasuke looked away from his scrutinizing gaze, but Naruto turned his head back.

"Try me." He said, and his tone was finite. Sasuke glared, he'd never let anyone speak to him the way Naruto did, or touch him or manhandle him the way Naruto did and had done throughout their 'relationship.' What was it about this boy that turned him inside out and made him spill all his guts everywhere in a giant mess of complicated emotions.

Sasuke sighed, giving in once again.

"I haven't really been with my family in a long time, and I wasn't the best person the last time I was here." he closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. "I've worked hard and done well for a long time, but they haven't really seen that. To them I'm still the fucked up teenager that tainted the family name." He scratched the back of his head nervously, "my father will be here next week, and he wants to meet with me about 'my future as a member of this family' he says."

"That's a little harsh isn't it?" Naruto asked. "What are we gonna do?"

"Me, idiot." Sauske sighed, "I am going to try to convince them that me being me isn't such a detriment to this family." Naruto had moved back enough that he was able to easily step away, turning back up to the house. "If I fail, I'll lose everything. He'll cut me off and quite possibly disown me. We don't have the best dynamic, but to be cut off entirely..."

"For being a gay doctor?" Naruto asked.

"One Of those things is bad enough on its own, haha." Sasuke found a slight bit of amusement in the absurdity of it all.

"How do I help?" Naruto's footsteps hurried after him.

"Just by some miracle make this relationship as believable as you possibly can." Sasuke shrugged knowing it had been a desperate plan from the start, but still there might be a chance.

"Hey," his lover called to him, reaching out to take his hand, "I'll treat you the same as I would anyone I was involved with, all you have to do is respond however feels natural to you." He turned Sasuke around again and pulled his arms up around his shoulders, and slipping his own around Sasukes waist. "Like if do something like this, how do you feel like responding."

"Honestly I feel like punching you for always jerking me around." Sasuke ground out in annoyance. Only the truth was, that it didn't bother him, and that was the real problem.

Naruto rolled his eyes and Sasuke fisted a handful of the front of the boy's shirt and crushed their lips together. The kiss was rough at first but soon turned gentle. Sasuke felt his cheeks heat up as he realized they hadn't ever kissed like this outside of sex before, and this kiss definitely wasn't sexual. Narutos hands weren't wandering, he wasn't pushing sasuke up against anything or bending him over anything, they weren't trying to tear each others clothing off. They were just standing on the beach, making out in full view if anyone who cared to watch.

It was Naruto who finally broke the kiss. "Hmm, that's probably a better response." He smiled, "it's been about half an hour since we left the car, let's get going, I'm starving." He turned grabbing Sasukes hand again, and together they walked up to dinner.

The meal was uneventful, but quieter than even the car ride. When they had said goodnight to Sasuke's family, Naruto followed him up to the room that had been his growing up. He'd chosen the room himself when he was about 12. It was on the top floor and as far from the other bedrooms and their occupants as he could get. He turned the large brass handle of the wooden door and swung it open.

"This was your room as a kid?!" Naruto exclaimed in awe. "Dude this is almost as big as our apartment!"

"Not even close. And it this is our vacation home. My room at home was bigger." He replied offhandedly, before realizing the conceit in what he was saying. The room was largely unchanged since the last time he was here, and Sasuke was sure there was probably still some random contraband laying around somewhere.

"Naruto raised an eyebrow at home but by only asked, "we have our own bathroom?" Before disappearing through a door that just inside the empty walk in closet. It was a moment before Sasuke heard him yell back, "There's a claw foot tub!? Sasuke, come take a bath with me!"

"Tomorrow. I'm tired and I want to go to bed." He said fighting a yawn. He found his bags where the been left at the foot of his bed and pulled out a pair of shorts and a T-shirt to sleep in.

When Naruto returned from his exploring, he did the same, only opting for sweats and a tank top.

"Can I crack the window open?" He asked Sasuke. It was warmer here in Konoha than it had been at school but the night still held a chilly breeze that made Sasuke shiver, however the bed had a heated mattress pad that would keep him warm no matter the weather, so he agreed with a nod before climbing between the sheets. Naruto hit the lights and followed suit.

"Will you plug my phone in, the plug is on your side," he pointed to the beside table and handed his lover the device. He then showed Naruto how to work the mattress controls for his side of the bed, but the boy declined. He liked to be cool when he slept, where Sasuke preferred to be warm.

"Goodnight, Sasuke." Came the sleepy voice from beside him as he pulled the blankets up around his shoulders.

"Night."

But sleep did not come easy for Sasuke, his mind was still reeling and his body couldn't relax. He felt should have taken Naruto up on his offer for the bath that would have of course led to sex. At least then perhaps he would have been tired to be overthinking everything this much. Sasuke woke several times throughout the night and each time it took him awhile to fall back asleep. All the while Naruto remained silent beside him, and he did his best not to wake the other man.

When he woke the last time it was just before dawn. He turned over in the pale blue light that seeped through the blinds to look at the alarm clock the was Naruto's side of the bed. He was laying on his back with his fingers laced behind his head, and Sasuke was shocked to find him awake.

"How long have you been up?" He asked, not fully awake himself yet.

"Most the night." He said wearily. "Just couldn't sleep."

Sasuke opened his mouth to reply but a sound from outside the room bad them both stop. The creaking of the stairs down the hall signaled that his mother had come up to wake them. Naruto looked at him for directions.

"Mother coming to wake us up." He told him in a whisper.

"At 6am?" He blanched quietly. "Whatever, turn back over."

"Huh?" Sasuke asked confused.

"Jus do it. " Naruto instructed, scooting closer to him. Sasuke could hear the footsteps coming down the hall now and did as he was told. As he lay back down on his opposite side, Narutos arms wrapped firmly around his waist and he understood. This closeness was something common between lovers.

He lay his head back down on the soft pillow and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and forcing himself to relax in Naruto's arms. A soft knock came against the wooden door and Sasuke replied with a convincingly tired, "Its open." He heard his mother enter the room but didn't open his eyes. Narutot's breath came steadily against the fabric of on his back between his shoulder blades, as he'd placed his head against the nape of his neck. He flinched ever so slightly and opened his eyes as his mother gently brushed the hair from his eyes. It was a touch he hadn't expected of her, let alone while he was in bed with another man.

"What time is it?" He asked her blearily.

"Just after six," she told him quietly, still stroking his hair. "We are going into tow for a few hours, but you two should rest today. Breakfast is downstairs when you're ready," and with that, she left as quietly as she'd entered.

Sasuke was relieved that they they would get a bit longer to attempt sleep, but was confused at his mothers odd behavior since he'd been home.

Naruto hadn't said anything yet and his steady, rhythmic breathing continued. Had he regally fallen asleep?

"Naruto?" He called softly, but no reply came. A chime on his phone sounded from behind them and Sasuke turned carefully in Naruto's arms, trying not to wake him, as he stretched for the bedside table to reach his phone, sighing when it remained just out of reach. Naruto responded in his sleep by pulling Sauske closer to himself, sliding his knee between Sasukes thighs and burying his face in Sasuke's chest.

Sasuke wasn't sure how he was supposed to react. He wasn't physically uncomfortable, infact it was quite the opposite, but this was a closeness he wasn't sure how to handle and didn't know if he was ok with. His heart was racing as he tried to asses the situation. Naruto wasn't holding him intentionally, and he didn't want to wake him if he'd been up all night. After all, it was Sasukes fault he was here in the first place wasn't it. He rested his chin on top of soft blond hair as he thought, but before he could come to any reasonable solution, he too had fallen asleep.


End file.
